Health Awareness Campaign Kampuchea: Keeping your distance and clean hands. Here we address common questions about COVID-19 hygiene protocol
Keeping your distance has never been more necessary and important than it is today. You may have heard of ‘social distancing’ in an effort to ‘flatten the curve’ (you can read more about that here). But here’s the crux of it - keeping your distance even when you’re not sick is not just about you. Keeping your distance minimizes the potential risk of you passing on the disease to people you care about and to the people they care about. Here we address common questions and comments about Covid-19.
What can I do?
Keeping calm is key, and patience, this might take a while. Don’t panic - stay informed and be careful.
Stay home if possible and avoid crowds and social gatherings, but if this is not an option for you then get creative. Handshakes and high fives are now a thing of the past, but there are still so many ways we can be social and friendly, including practicing no-contact greetings, which goes with proper and regular hand-washing and maintaining a distance of 2 meters from others as much as you can - below is a simple visual guide. They’re also available here for sharing on FB.
But, it really doesn’t seem so serious at the moment.
And let’s do what we can to keep it that way, because we can still do something about it. We all play an important part. The number of reported cases in Cambodia is currently less than one hundred (as of March 23) - but the facts are rapidly changing. What we know from other countries ahead of us in the pandemic stage, is that the number of cases increases exponentially (the virus infects more and more people within a shorter and shorter period of time). This is how the situation can go from not so serious to critical in a short period of time.
Here is where the real problem lies - this is where the elderly, our parents, grand parents, and relatives, and the sick could really suffer if our healthcare system becomes overwhelmed quickly. But this doesn’t have to be the case if we stay informed and understand how we can keep the virus at bay as a community and as responsible individuals. There’s a difference between taking it seriously and panicking, keep calm.
As the saying goes, prevention is better than treatment and while we may not be able to prevent the spread of Covid-19, each of us can do our bit to slow down its spread.
Why is it important if I’m young and healthy - it’s just like the flu right?
Yes, observations show so far that the majority of the population might only experience mild symptoms from Covid-19, with symptoms ranging from a mild to a bad flu. Luckily we are a relatively young population, with 65% below the age of thirty - but if you fall within that category, it’s also likely that you are still living with or within close proximity to older family members, who along with people with pre-existing conditions are among the most vulnerable to the more severe symptoms of Covid-19.
Odd as it sounds, keeping your distance means caring for your loved ones and your community.
In Cambodia, we are highly family-oriented, which may make it difficult to stay away. The same safety measures apply within the household to minimise putting your family at risk. Remember, Covid-19 doesn’t stop at your doorstep, and it won’t knock either. Wash your hands and clean your face as soon as you get home, clean commonly used surfaces with disinfectants and maintain a safe distance from each other, 2 meters. Share and practice safety measures with your family.
Will it make a difference? I’m just one person.
Yes, absolutely.
Every action from each person, from small habits like washing your hands, to foregoing that wedding, could make a world of difference. Your actions to minimise and slow down the spread could give our doctors and nurses, our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, and friends serving at the frontline the much needed time and space to treat and give attention to those that need it most.
Yes, absolutely, every action counts.